Rural-route-mail deliverer.



No. 792,675. y f PATENTED JUNE 20. 1905.

V. F. SPRINGER.

RURAL ROUTE MAIL DELIVERER. APPLIoATIoN FILED 13110.29, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

VALENTINE F. SPRINGER, OF MILFORD, NEBRASKA.

RURAL-FIOUTE-NIAIL DELIVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,675, dated June 20,1905. Application filed December 29, 1904'. Serial 110.238,723.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LVALENTINE F. SPRINGER. a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Milford, in the county of Seward and State ofNebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Rural-Route-MailDeliverer,which will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, in Figure 1, a side elevationof my rural-route-mail deliverer, while Fig. Q shows an end Viewthereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical mail-deliverer tobe used upon rural routes.

In carrying out the aim of my invention I use two suspended wires, as aand a', which are held superposed in being secured to the cross-arms a,fixed to suitable poles m, as shown in Figs. l and 2, these poles beingof such length that the suspended wires a and a will be such a distanceabove ground that an ordinary train or wagon may readily pass below thesame. Traveling upon the upper wire a are two grooved sheaves 9 and 9',from which extend the hangers 4', held by means of the supporting-pins10 and 10', and this hanger 4 is secured to the bracket 4 and formingpart of the same, as is shown in Fig. 2. To the sheave 9' is secured agear 12, which gear 12 meshes with the driving-gear 11, xed to thedriving-shaft 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and this driving-gear 6 isheld within the bracket 4, which bracket is shown in Fig. 2 asapproximately U-shaped, while at each end are secured the terminalbearing-brackets 3 and 5. Secured to this driving-shaft 6 is a suitabledriving-spring 14, secured by means of the pin 13 and fastened to theshaft 6, which is provided with the ratchet-wheel 15 and the pawl 16,held upon the pin 17, so that Athis spring 1.4 may be wound, as anordinary clock-l spring Is wound, to drive the shaft 6, which isprovided with a square termination, enabling a key to be fitted to thesame. To this shaft 6 is also loosely secured the lower guidingpulley 8,so that this hanger, which forms a carriage for the driving mechanism,cannot be readily displaced in storms or by parties tampering with thesame. Secured to this bracket 4 and the bearing-brackets 5 and 3 is asuitable housing A, divided into a plurality of compartments closed bymeans of the doors 1, these doors being secured by means of snitablehinges 2, and each door is provided with a suitable lock b. At suitablepoints along the line one or more of the cross-arms z are provided withthe electric terminals o and fu', which come into rubbing contact withthe sheaves 9 and 8 to close an ordinary bell-circuit, so that an alarmwill be rung by the carriage before a suitable station is approached.

My device is used as follows: The line-wires a a are strung along apredetermined route, especially in country districts, and it is intendedthat a proper oiiicial distributes the mail and places the same into theproper boxes. As a matter of illustration, we will assume that the linehas six subscribers, drawings showing the deviceyprovided with sixreceiving lock-boxes. Thespring being wound, the device is permittedtotravel along the line. As the house is usually a considerable distancefrom the road and as it will be known when the carrier is started out,some party at the first house is expected to be on the alert, and as thecarrier travels along by means of the spring-motor 14 a suitable alarmwill be rung in, an ordinary bell-circuit being closed in that theterminals o and o are brought into circuit with the metallic carriage,and as soon as the bell rings the party on the alert repairs to thepoint most convenient, which will have to be on an elevation or thewires be permitted to lower, so that as the carrier cornes along it willbe stopped by the party, who will unlock the door and remove thecontained mail. The party then in order to insure success winds themotor again and permits it to continue to the second station, whereprevious to its arrival the traveling mail -carriage will close acircuit to Warn the parties to repair to a proper point and interruptthe passage of the carrier. Now should the party at the first or secondstation be absent the carriage will of course continue through to theend, it being intended to provide a motor for each carrier of sufhcientpower to carry it the full predetermined distance. Now the party at thelast station on the line is required to wind up the motor and reversethe same, so that IOO the driving-sheave 9 will rotate in an oppositedirection, so that the carriage will pass over the course and return tothe original station to be in shape to receive the mail on the neXtdelivery.

WhileI have shown and described an ordinary spring-motor, it is ot'course understood that an electric or any other suitable motor could beused. So, also, could a greater number or a less number ofdelivery-boxes be used.

I nd it desirable to use the two wires principally in order to keep thecarriage in pendent condition and prevent its being violently swayed instorms in view of the reasons mentioned above.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by United States Letters Patent, is-

In a device of the character described, the combination with twosuperposed suspended wires, of a carriage, said carriage being providedwith brackets, a sheave supported within each bracket working upon theuppermost suspending-wire, a gear secured to one of said sheaves,adrive-gear secured to said carriage meshing with said first-mentionedgear, a suitable motor actuating said gears, a sheave secured to saiddriving-shaft adapted to corne in engagement from below with saidlowermost suspended wire, and a mail-receptacle secured to saidcarriage.

In testimony whereofI aiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VALENTINE F. SPRINGER.

Witnesses:

H. D. LANDIS, C. F. SPRINGER.

